On Friday, January 4th, Armwood High School five-star safety, Leon McQuay, III announced that he will be attending the University of Southern California. He will compete to replace Jawanza Starling, or T. J. McDonald for the Trojans.

Friday’s commitment from McQuay, the lone holdout from September, turned out to commit at the perfect time for USC. As a senior, the 6’2”, 185 pound nationally No. 2 ranked safety, finished his season with 61 tackles, 12 pass breakups, five interceptions, and four blocked field goals.

McQuay, who sports a GPA that is higher than his 40-time at 4.8, brings a long, lean frame to the Trojan secondary this spring. As an early enrollee, McQuay joins a USC team that will be losing three safeties with starting experience. A prototypical free safety, McQuay committed to USC when the Trojans didn’t have a defensive coordinator in place, after Monte Kiffin resigned in December.

McQuay’s path to USC was full of twists and turns. With Monte Kiffin’s ties to the Tampa area, his departure was thought by many to be the final factor in him choosing Florida State or Vanderbilt over USC. However, in-home visits by Trojan assistant coaches, Tee Martin and Marvin Sanders, followed by Lane Kiffin and Monte Kiffin, paved the way for McQuay’s final official visit on December 14th. Aside from being a phenomenal athlete, McQuay is also an aspiring music producer, which influenced his decision to go to school in Los Angeles, California.